Short-Seller Jim Chanos Questions CoreWeave’s GPU Accounting Amid AI Boom

Renowned short-seller Jim Chanos has cast doubt on CoreWeave's financial reporting, specifically targeting the depreciation timelines of its AI-focused GPU infrastructure. The Kynikos Associates founder highlighted potential overestimation of hardware useful life in a recent social media post, drawing parallels to dot-com era scrutiny.

CoreWeave's reliance on Nvidia GPUs forms the crux of Chanos' critique. His analysis suggests the company may be applying a 7.5-year depreciation schedule to technology that typically becomes obsolete faster in the rapidly evolving AI sector. This accounting approach could significantly impact reported EBITDA figures.

The debate emerges as AI infrastructure companies face heightened investor scrutiny. While Chanos' track command attention—including his famous Enron short—industry observers note that accelerated hardware turnover could be offset by rising AI service demand and potential hardware upgrade cycles.